When the Whidbey News-Times orchestrated its April Fools’ joke with the “Whidbey Snooze-Times” last week, we had no idea how tremendous the response would be.

Mostly positive.

We also didn’t realize that, in some ways, it would parallel what is happening in the world today with “fake news.”

Days after the “Snooze” published, four of the top five most-read articles on whidbeynewstimes.com were our April Fools’ stories. Each article ends with “April Fools,” the final tip off for readers not quite sure what to make of the rest of each piece.

The most popular “Snooze-Times” article, about a plan to charge a $5 toll (in quarters) to cross Deception Pass Bridge went live early April Fools’ Day and quickly spread like wildfire. Engagement on our Facebook page topped 108,000 people, and the story was shared nearly 1,400 times.

Some people shared the bridge toll article without opening the link or reading it to the end. One reader declared she’ll never buy the News-Times again because she shared without reading it, and was embarrassed to later learn the article was a joke.

Another reader chastised the newspaper for not clearly stating in the headline that the article was a prank.

Most people said they got a good laugh, however, and we received several congratulatory phone calls and emails. Overall, it was as successful an April Fools’ prank as one could hope.

But it led us to look at the issue of fake news, and a broader effort to control what people are reading in their newspaper.

From the White House to the most local level, newspapers and reporters are attacked, and punished, for doing their jobs — reporting the facts. We exist in a political climate in which, if someone doesn’t like what the facts are, they simply proclaim it “fake news.”

In fact, one major advertiser in Oak Harbor admitted cutting advertising to the News-Times because she didn’t like certain coverage. Another, in Coupeville, said she wasn’t advertising because she believed, incorrectly, that the newspaper had called the town “anti-Navy.”

To be clear, despite the pressure, we have not altered our coverage of issues and will not.

Yes, the April Fools’ edition was chock full of fake news, all of it clearly identified as such. It was an opportunity for the editorial staff to have some fun and bring our readers along for the ride.

Regardless of whether you got a laugh — we certainly hope you did, because life is short, and these days so is humor — we also hope it opens eyes to the importance of reading beyond a headline.

Always look at the source of the article you’re reading, know what the article you’re sharing actually says, read articles in their entirety and, when publication day for the News-Times falls on April 1, prepare to be fooled, if just for a few moments.